Saylor and Kris
by EmilyArtypants
Summary: (Sequel to Tyla Kirby) Tyla Kirby is still friends with the squids, and Sky is still around, but with the arrival of the talkative Saylor Campbell and a bunch of Sky's friends, things get a little complicated. Especially when you consider the interference of a certain Nether-dweller...
1. Chapter 1

Tyla Kirby should have known that Sky wouldn't go away after she cured his mind by accident. That was two weeks ago, and Sky was doing his best to ruin her life. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but the guy was scaring the hell out of her friends, the squids, and he was acting like he was the right one and she was wrong to hang out with some passive mobs.

Tyla knelt in the water, the squids swimming around her. It was amazing that they still trusted her, considering what Sky was like. Speaking of Sky… Tyla heard the footsteps and made a gesture under the water. It was a new one; she made a fist and then opened it, spreading her fingers. It was American Sign Language for 'sun', but she used it to mean 'Sky'.

The squids scattered, and Tyla heard a hiss of frustration from behind her. She turned around to see Sky, standing on the edge of the water and holding his golden sword. That was another thing that Tyla and Sky disagreed on, albeit less violently. Tyla called gold 'gold', said that yeah, it looks nice but it makes really crappy tools and never bothered with it. Sky called gold 'budder', was obsessed with the stuff, and made all his tools out of it.

Sky glared at the retreating squids, and then he looked at Tyla, his expression suddenly becoming more friendly. "Hey." he said. Tyla folded her arms and said nothing. Sky sighed. "I just wanted to tell you… some friends of mine are coming here. Thought you should know." Then he turned around and walked away.

"Friends?" Tyla asked herself. "Oh, no, the last thing I need is more Skys…" A lone squid that had returned nudged her in the side, and she absently scratched it behind the… well, behind where she assumed it's ear was. She wasn't sure whether squids had ears, but she scratched it on the side of the head. It squirmed in delight and flipped over like a dog so she could scratch the other side. Tyla smiled.

* * *

"Hello!" Tyla looked behind her. She was standing up to her knees in the water, just staring out to sea. Behind her, on the shore, was a girl about her age. She had short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a green jacket, a light blue shirt, and jeans. Tyla's hair is curly and blond, and she can tell this girl is dressed 'fashionably', unlike Tyla herself, who never bothers.

"Hello!" The girl says again. She tilts her head to one side. "Are you the squid girl?" she asks. That shocks Tyla enough to get her to say something. "Say what?" The girl shrugs. "Sky told us about a girl who liked squids. That's you, right?"

"Er. I guess so. You're one of Sky's friends, right?" Tyla turns around slowly. She managed to communicate to the squids that they should stay away from here for a while, but you never know. "Yeah, I'm in the Sky Army." says the girl. She holds out her hand for Tyla to shake. "I'm Saylor Campbell."

"Er. Tyla Kirby. So… you're not going to, like, kill me or anything?" Tyla is a bit confused by this. "Oh, no." Saylor laughs. "Sky specifically said to not hurt you." she looks over her shoulder before leaning closer and whispering, "I think he likes you!" Saylor smiles and says, in a normal voice, "Besides, it's nice to have another girl to talk to. Did you know that over half the Sky Army recruits are boys? It is so annoying."

Saylor talked for about ten minutes before someone -Sky- yelled from some distance away. "Campbell! Get your lazy ass back to camp!" Saylor sighed. "Sorry, Tyla. Gotta go. See you later!" Then she ran off, leaving Tyla a bit overwhelmed.

She sat down on the beach, her feet in the water, and asked out loud; "What the heck is the Sky Army?"

* * *

Saylor ran back into the Sky Army camp. "Sorry, Sky. I was talking with the squid girl." Sky snorted. "More like at the squid girl… Help Misener map out the hills biome, won't you, Campbell?" Sky said, returning to organizing some chest.

"Yes, sir." Saylor said, running off to find Andy Misener, the map expert. Andy must have recently offended Sky or something, because going off on a two-person mission with Saylor Campbell was classic punishment in the Sky Army. Saylor spent the entire mapping expedition talking. Andy spent the whole time staring at the map that was writing itself and praying to Notch for temporary deafness.

"Hey, Andy, why do you think Sky brought so few people here? Maybe he thinks the squid girl will come over to our side, or maybe there aren't many squids here. Did you hear why Sky disappeared a while back? I heard that Herobrine messed with his mind and that the squid girl cured him or something. Hey, did you know that the squid girl's name is Tyla Kirby? Cool name, don't you think? Hey, look over there! There's a Nether portal! Strange to see one out here, isn't it?"

Andy and Saylor walked around and through the plains biome. Andy had red ink that he used to mark possible squid locations, but he didn't get to use it at all. There wasn't a pond here for hundreds of blocks, except for a creeper explosion crater that had half-filled with rain.

"…and you know, I think Sky has a crush on Tyla. Don't you remember that order? And he blushed while he was saying it, too. Anyone with their head screwed on tight could see it, but really some people couldn't find their head with both hands and a map…"

Andy sighed. Saylor Campbell; the walking torture implement.


	2. Chapter 2

For the fifth time, Tyla tried to get up and go home, but she was afraid that while she was gone, the squids might come back and then Sky or somebody would come along and kill them. She finally admitted that she wasn't going to go home. Except for some food and some blankets.

Curling up in her makeshift sleeping bag, Tyla watched the moon rise. She munched half-heartedly on a piece of bread. Maybe she should just craft a boat and leave, leading the squids to somewhere safer. Sure it was nice being near the only other people in this world, but for crying out loud, they were trying to kill her friends…

Tyla, leaning against the tree, had drifted into a half-doze when a voice behind her said "Hello!" Tyla jumped, sitting bolt upright and pulling her sword out of her inventory. "Whoa, chill, girl. It's just me." Saylor put her hands up in the classic surrender pose. When Tyla had put her sword back in her inventory, Saylor sat down on the grass next to her.

"You camping out here?" Saylor asked. Tyla nodded. "May I ask why?" Saylor was curious enough to stay quiet for a minute while Tyla answered. Well, maybe twenty seconds. "I'm afraid my friends will come back and Sky will kill them if I leave." she said.

"Your friends? The squids? How can you stand those evil-" Saylor was about to go into a rant about squids when she saw the look on Tyla's face. "Er." Saylor said. "Um." Both girls admitting that they would rather be friends, they then hammered out an agreement;

Saylor wouldn't do or say anything to Tyla's face, Tyla wouldn't hold Saylor accountable for anything she did in front of Sky, neither would try to convert the other to their point of view, and neither would mention SQUIDS.

* * *

It was late, and Saylor finally had to say goodbye after more than an hour of sleepover-type conversation. Saylor talked about various people in the Sky Army and how annoying they were and who was dating who, and Tyla told Saylor the story of how she'd met Sky.

"…so I pointed at him and said "Sky? Squid!" and he went all psycho…" Tyla said, as Saylor hooted with laughter. She took one look at Tyla, who was doing an impression of the look on Sky's face at the time, and collapsed into a fresh fit of hilarity.

Saylor's mirth was cut short by a tap on her shoulder. "Campbell?" The grin slid off of Saylor's face. "Oh, Notch, how long have I been here…" "Long enough. Sky would like you to return to base camp, Campbell." Saylor stood up, sighing.

"See you later, Tyla." she said, waving to her new friend. Saylor's Sky Army friend narrowed his eyes at Tyla. "You are?" he asked. "Tired." Tyla said, and Saylor started laughing, but pressed one hand over her mouth.

The boy looked suspiciously at her. "You're Tyla Kirby, aren't you?" he asked. "Nope." said Tyla. "I'm the queen of Mars." Saylor made the choking sounds that one makes when one has their hand in their mouth to keep from laughing and is fighting a losing battle. The boy doesn't say anything else, he just turns around and takes Saylor, who has tears streaming down her face from the effort of keeping silent, back to the camp, leaving Tyla sleeping under the stars.

Tyla takes her sword from her inventory, lying down with one hand on the hilt, just in case. Saylor did say that Sky didn't want her hurt, but she was taking no chances.

* * *

"Have you gotten any useful information from your new friend?" Kris Coleman, the Sky Army's head of espionage, asked Saylor. Saylor was outraged. "Hey! I'm not friends with Tyla so I can get stuff out of her! I am not going to get her to tell me stuff and then betray her!"

Kris frowned, crossing her arms. "You'll do what I say, Campbell, or I'll tell Sky that you're in cahoots with the enemy." Kris said icily. "What? Sky's fine with us being friends!" Saylor half yelled, half hissed. Kris smiled slightly, brushing her dark hair behind one ear. "But you know how he reacts to traitors, Campbell. And get me some quality intel soon, or I will tell him you are one." Kris unfolded her arms and turned around to face the map on the back of her tent, indicating that the meeting was over.

Saylor turned to leave, and she was just at the door of the tent when Kris's voice, eerily quiet, said "Oh, and Campbell…" Saylor half-turned to look at Kris. Kris smiled, knowing she had Saylor cornered, and said "Tell anyone, Sky Army or squid girl, about this, and you go on the hit list."


	3. Chapter 3

The night was uneventful, or at least Tyla slept through any events. She resolved to go get a look at the Sky Army base camp the next night, assuming that it would be just as uneventful. Tyla rolled up her blankets and placed them at the bottom of the tree. Then she sat on them, staring up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the tree.

Tyla wondered whether she should go find the squids. She knew where they would be, in their deep-water home, and she'd placed a couple of fence-posts down there, so she could stay there indefinitely. She was a bit afraid of leading the Sky Army there by accident, but they weren't likely to be watching her, and she could probably lose them on the way if they tried to follow her.

She stood up and took a running start, diving into the water with a splash. She surfaced for a moment, took a few deep breaths, then she dove down into the dark water. Tyla was a fairly strong swimmer, but going as deep as what she knew as deep-squid territory always scared her a bit. She knew that there wasn't anything more dangerous than squids down here, but it was so dark that anything could be hiding in the shadows.

Tyla shook her head to clear those thoughts and kicked harder, going down even faster. She could hold her breath longer than most people, but it was still a bit farther to her first fence-post. There! Tyla grabbed onto the post, inhaling deeply from the air pocket it created. Something nudged her foot, and she nearly jumped out of her skin, but it was just a squid.

It did the squid equivalent of jumping up on her to lick her face, and then it swam a bit upwards, floating just above her head. It swam just a little bit higher, then it looked back down, insofar as a squid can look, with it's eyes on either side of it's head.

Tyla shook her head. She pointed upwards, then she made the gesture for 'Sky'. The squid shivered, then it zoomed off downward to get it's friends. Soon, there was a flock (school? shoal? crowd? What's the collective noun for squids, anyhow?) of squids crowding around Tyla, all head butting her and demanding to be scratched. Tyla held onto the post with one hand, laughing as the squids swam around her in their group.

Then Tyla let go of the post, diving even deeper, only this time her view was impeded by squids. She managed to get to the deepest post, though without too much trouble. She was in an underwater hollow, with squids swimming across the giant underwater basin, left and right, up and down, sometimes alone but more often in groups. This was where squids lived when they weren't near the shore. It was an amazing sight.

Too soon, Tyla started to shiver from the cold. One of the squids noticed, and came to float near her, in just the right place for her to hold on. Tyla gently wrapped her arms around the squid, and then it was off like a rocket, shooting towards the surface. Tyla felt herself slipping, but she squeezed a little tighter and held on.

Just below the surface, the squid slid out of Tyla's grasp and swam back towards the bottom of the ocean. Tyla kicked the last few blocks to the surface and trod water for a moment, breathing in the air. "There you are! Hey, Tyla!" Tyla shook the water out of her eyes to see Saylor standing on the shore, waving her arms. Tyla swam back to the shore, and almost immediately, Saylor started talking.

"What were you doing out there? I yelled for, like, twenty minutes and you didn't answer! How could you have been under there for so long?" Saylor said while Tyla shook herself off. "Fenceposts." Tyla said, very much hoping that her friend wouldn't ask why…

* * *

"Coleman? Misener? Any news?" Sky stood in the center of the bustling camp, asking his lieutenants for their reports. Andy Misener had several maps on his clipboard, and he flipped through them, shaking his head. "Sir, the only place where squids could come ashore anywhere near here is that beach where that Kirby girl lives, and I report very little or no squid activity there."

Sky ran one hand through his hair and said, in an exasperated tone of voice, "Tyla! She must have told them to go away!" He sighed, and said "Coleman?"

"The squid girl has taken up watch at the beach, sir. She seems to be scared that we'll kill her friends if she leaves. Also, she has formed a friendship with Saylor Campbell, and I suggest we use this to our advantage."

Sky looked warily at Kris. "How exactly do you suggest?" he asked. "I assure you it will not bring the squid girl to any harm." Kris replied. "And Campbell has already been briefed on her assignment, so there is nothing you need to worry about, sir." Sky hesitated for a moment, then he said "Alright. Do it."

* * *

Saylor realized that Tyla had probably been visiting the squids, but she couldn't ask about it because of the Agreement, and that was just fine. Afraid of letting something slip, Saylor had quickly excused herself, saying that she had a job to do.

She had gone back, late in the afternoon, determined to act like nothing was wrong, but frankly, Saylor was not the world's smoothest liar. Tyla had realized that something was up. "I… I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?" Saylor had said, and then she'd left, heading back to camp.

Honestly, she was terrified. She knew that she was screwing this up badly, and she knew that somehow Kris would find out and then she would tell Sky that Saylor was a traitor and that would be the end of her. Saylor was afraid of Kris. The girl was as cold as ice, and she was as ruthless to humans as she was to squids.

Not sure what to do, Saylor was uncharacteristically quiet that night, and even Sky asked her what was wrong. Saylor had tried to pretend that everything was alright, but it was hard, especially since Kris was watching her from across the campfire.

Sky caught the direction of her nervous glance, and he frowned. "Come on, Campbell. Let's talk for a bit." he said, nodding towards his tent.


	4. Chapter 4

Tyla lay flat on her front on a hill above the Sky Army camp, squinting down at the collection of tents. There were about twenty of them, although most of them looked like two-person tents. The soldiers were sitting around a campfire in the center of the tent city, and they were having a good, old-fashioned sing-along.

Tyla squinted, making out Saylor. She was entering a tent, and she was soon followed by Sky. Interesting. Tyla racked her brains trying to remember Saylor's idle chatter about the people in the Sky Army, and she was fairly sure she could recognize the girl Saylor called Kris. Other than that, she couldn't remember.

Tyla listened for a moment, and it struck her that the sing-along wasn't exactly old-fashioned. The lyrics were all the proof she needed. Someone had taken some campfire songs and changed the words. And that person, whoever they were, hated squids.

* * *

"So what's up?" The question was casual, but Sky's face was uncharacteristically serious. Saylor took a deep breath. She didn't know what to do. Sky had more authority than Kris, but Kris was scary, and she was much more capable of murder than Sky probably knew or guessed.

Saylor took another shaky breath. "She- if I- if I tell you, she- she-" She couldn't get it out. Saylor was so scared she was shaking. "Who's 'she'?" Sky asked quietly. "Kris?" Still shaking, Saylor nodded. "What'll she do if you tell me?" "She- she- she'll tell you I'm a- a traitor." There. It was out.

Sky looked at Saylor. "And you're afraid she'll do more than tattle to me?" Saylor nodded again. "Sit." Sky said. "And tell me; what exactly is she doing? I'll make sure you stay safe."

* * *

Tyla frowned. The probably-Kris had crossed to the other side of the campfire and was standing next to the tent that Saylor and Sky were in, obviously listening. Tyla was fairly sure that Saylor would be talking about whatever had her so scared earlier, and Tyla doubted that she would want probably-Kris listening in.

Tyla had a bow. She wasn't very good with it, and she spent so much time in the water that the string was nigh on to useless, but she had one. And it was highly unlikely that one arrow would kill probably-Kris, so no harm, right?

* * *

"She said I had to get information from Tyla and then tell her and if I didn't get her some good stuff soon then she was going to tell you that I'm a traitor and I couldn't tell you or Tyla or she'd kill me and- and-" It was all coming out in a rush. Saylor was shaking harder now, and she couldn't stop.

She opened her mouth again, and just then there was a yell from outside the tent. Sky leapt up and ran outside. "Kris?" he asked, shocked. His lieutenant was standing outside the tent, clutching her bloody arm. There was an arrow in her hand, and she had obviously just pulled it out of the wound. Kris pointed to a hill on the other side of the campfire. Sky and Saylor both looked, just in time to see someone -someone with curly blond hair- running away.

"Tyla Kirby!" Sky yelled, loud enough that everyone stared. "Tyla shot Kris!" This roused everyone. Sky drew his sword. The recruits mirrored his action, and they all stood up. Sky had a one-track mind, and this had driven everything else -including Saylor's issue, possibly not including squids- out of his mind.

"Get the squid girl!" Sky yelled. Who could have known that this was all it would take to unhinge the leader of the Sky army?

Kris smiled.

* * *

"Are you allowed to work through her? That girl's a dedicated Notchist." "You know what they say, brother. Any good done in my name is yours, and any evil done in your name is mine." "I wouldn't call that 'in my name'." "Close enough."

* * *

Tyla heard Sky's yell and ran. Shoving the bow untidily into her inventory, she stumbled along the beach until she ran face-first into a tree. She grabbed her nose with one hand and felt blood. Just great. She saw torches coming up onto the top of the hill and kept running.

She couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Tyla dove into the water, kicking in the direction of the deep water squid territory.

* * *

Saylor didn't know what to do. Her only chance of staying safe from Kris was off chasing Tyla, Tyla herself was the target of a manhunt involving all of the Sky Army that had set up camp here. Saylor looked around. Kris was nowhere to be seen. Just great.

Deciding that maybe she could get moving at least, Saylor walked in the direction of the beach. Skirting Sky and his soldiers, who were standing at the edge of the water, Saylor moved down the beach towards an uncertain destination. Soon the beach ended, and Saylor stared at the hill before she realized what she was seeing. There was a door in the hill, and when Saylor opened it, she found someone's house.

"I knew Tyla had to live somewhere!" Saylor whispered and, closing the door behind her, she entered her friend's house.


	5. Chapter 5

Tyla leaned on the fencepost in the squids' basin. She had made a crafting table and placed it against the sheer face of the rock, and now she was sitting on it, half-drowsing despite the fact that she could barely control her shivering.

Tyla didn't really know Sky, but how had he gone from not letting people kill her to ready to murder her himself? Either he was less stable than an upturned pyramid, which Tyla wouldn't bet against, or something had messed with his mind. Tyla had a vague feeling that she should recognize that, but she was too exhausted and overwhelmed to process much.

She needed to get back up to the surface and dry, that was for certain. She wouldn't survive down here for very long; soon she'd get hypothermia and die. But she couldn't go ashore; the Sky Army would kill her. Wait. She could dig underwater, right? So… why couldn't she dig a tunnel into her house?

That thought made her eyes snap open. She could! Tyla got a squid to come close to her, to take her up to the surface. She let go early, though. She badly needed air, but it wouldn't be worth it to go above water. She kicked along until she reached the bit of dirt that stuck out into the bay, that marked the hill that she lived in.

Tyla placed a fencepost at the bottom of the water and floated there for a moment, breathing in deeply. Then she pulled out her shovel; it was tunnel time.

* * *

Saylor spent a few minutes looking through Tyla's chests, then she pulled out some raw pork chops and some wood and put them in the furnace. Saylor took a bite out of the first pork chop to be done, and that bite nearly fell out of her mouth when one of the floor blocks destroyed itself.

All Saylor could think was that Kris had come to get her, and she gave a squeak as someone poked their head out of the tunnel. Saylor's overworked brain took a few seconds to register that the person didn't have dark hair like Kris. This person had blond curls like…

"Tyla?" Saylor asked in stunned disbelief. Tyla was looking at her with a similar expression. "Saylor?" Soon, both girls were hugging and crying and telling each other their stories. "Whoa." Tyla said, when Saylor had finished telling about Kris. "No wonder you were acting funny…"

"Yeah. And sorry, I kind of looked through your chests…" Saylor said guiltily, but Tyla just shrugged. Then she sniffed. "Is that… pork chops cooking?" "Yeah." Saylor said. Tyla held out her hand. "Gimme."

* * *

Light slowly peeked over the horizon and, in several different places, people were sleeping. The Sky Army had returned to camp, exhausted, at about four in the morning, and they were all sound asleep in their tents. Saylor and Tyla were asleep in Tyla's house, at least for now.

"Saylor. Saylor, wake up. You're dreaming, wake up." Tyla hissed, poking Saylor in the ribs. Saylor opened her eyes abruptly. "AA-mmff!" She started to scream, but Tyla clamped a hand over her mouth. A moment later, she took it away, and Saylor sat up, her heart pounding.

"Dreaming about Kris?" Saylor nodded. Tyla sat back on her bed, running her thoughts of the previous day through her head. She was running a hand through her hair when she froze. "Oh, s_. Him?" she said. Saylor stared at her. "Who?"

Tyla swallowed. "You remember how I said that something might be messing with Sky's mind?" Saylor nodded slowly. "Well, do you remember who did it last time?" Saylor's eyes widened. "Him? Her-" She started to say it, but Tyla flinched so badly that she stopped.

The two girls sat there for a few moments, then Saylor asked, in a small voice, "What are we going to do now?" Tyla thought for a few moments, then she said "Let's see. We need to fix Sky's mind, and we need to find a way to permanently get Kris away from you." Saylor nodded. "Those might actually fit together. We fix Sky's mind, and then he helps deal with Kris."

"So…" Saylor asked "How are we going to do that?" Tyla opened her mouth to answer, but just at that moment, a cold voice said from the door; "You two won't be doing anything." Saylor and Tyla turned to see Kris standing in the doorway. She was alone, but that wasn't much comfort. Instead of the Sky Army standard-issue 'budder' sword, Kris had a diamond one, double-edged and wicked sharp.

Saylor screamed, and Tyla grabbed her arm, dragging her into the tunnel she'd made before. Panicking too much to take a deep breath, Saylor blacked out as Tyla pulled her deeper.


	6. Chapter 6

"Coleman? Was she there?" Sky turned to his lieutenant as she walked into the camp. "Yes." Kris snarled. "Along with that deserter, Saylor Campbell. They escaped through some sort of tunnel." Sky turned around, and Kris could hear him talking to himself. "…stupid, can't even catch a squid girl…what's wrong with me?…" Kris heard Sky berating himself and He smiled. It was working.

* * *

The first thing Saylor noticed was that she was underwater. The second thing Saylor noticed was that she was breathing perfectly fine. The third thing she noticed was that she was blindfolded. She reached up to take the blindfold off her face, but someone stopped her. Saylor started to panic, but then she heard Tyla's voice.

"Saylor, it's alright. Just… please don't take the blindfold off." Saylor turned her head in the direction of Tyla's voice. "Why?" She heard her friend sigh. "Because… you can, but remember the Agreement. You can't do anything in front of me."

Saylor tore the blindfold off and gasped. She was looking across an underwater bowl that was full of SQUIDS! She stared in half shock, half petrified indecision at what she was seeing. Squids swam around in groups, and there was one that was snuggling up to Tyla like a dog.

She looked down. She was sitting on a crafting table. A squid was watching her from a bit deeper down, and Tyla was floating next to her, holding on to the fencepost. "Oh… Notch…" Saylor said. Tyla was looking at her nervously. "Don't worry, girl. There's no way I'm going to disturb this." The more Saylor watched the squids, the more she found herself comparing them to a dog her sister had. They seemed simple, but they were friendly.

"How… How could I have thought they were evil?" Saylor asked out loud. Tyla smiled. Then she tapped Saylor's shoulder to get her to watch. She held out her hand, with just the thumb, second and pinkie fingers extended. American sign language for 'I love you'.

Immediately, the squids came closer, clustering around Tyla. They were nervous, though, keeping their distance from Saylor. Cautiously, she held out her hand, just like Tyla had, in the same gesture. The squids, nervously at first, then more boldly, came closer. "How could I?" she repeated.

* * *

"That's insane!" Saylor hissed as she and Tyla trod water, preparing to go to shore. "Keep your voice down! And it might be the only way to cure Sky!" Night was falling, and Saylor could see that the Sky Army had made a camp of some sort on the beach. Saylor swallowed. "Do you think I can do this?" "Of course you can! I need less than a minute!"

Saylor took a deep breath and paddled towards shore. Hold the attention of most of the Sky Army for less than a minute. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Saylor walked through the shallow water, and most of Saylor's former cohorts yelled "Squid girl! Get her!"

"Hey! It's me, squid-for-brains." Saylor said. A boy who had jumped into the water in his enthusiasm ignored the insult and stared. "Saylor?" he asked incredulously. "No, I'm the squid queen!" Saylor said sarcastically. Someone, however, took it much more literally than Saylor would have liked.

"Squid! Die!" Sky yelled, and Saylor had just enough time to draw her sword before Sky leapt into the water, doing his very best to murder her. Well, if she'd wanted to make a distraction, then she'd succeeded. Everyone was watching her and Sky fight, and Saylor could only hope that they weren't going to help Sky.

* * *

Tyla, crossing her fingers that Saylor could take care of herself, headed for the Nether portal. She managed to avoid a couple of Sky Army patrols, four creepers and a spider, then she saw the Nether portal that she had followed Sky through… was it really only a few weeks ago?

Bracing herself, Tyla stepped into the portal. Killing Him was the only way she could think of to free Sky's mind, but now that she was actually trying to do it, it felt like much less of a good idea.

* * *

Out of the corner of her eye, Saylor saw Kris, watching the fight. This did not make her more optimistic. Saylor, finding a burst of strength, knocked Sky's sword out of his hand. Then she stepped on it, so that he couldn't pick it up again.

"No!" Sky said, trying to lift his sword. "No!" Saylor lowered her sword, and it was right at that moment that Kris's mind snapped.

Herobrine had been working through Kris for more than a month, and finally she couldn't take it any more. Drawing her sword, Kris gave a yell and ran towards Saylor. "Oh s_!" Saylor said.


	7. Chapter 7

Instinctively, she jumped away, but that meant that she was no longer holding Sky's sword down. Sky didn't give Kris a second glance, even though Kris was laughing in an evil, 'I'm going to kill you' sort of way. Saylor's former cohorts exchanged glances, wondering if they should intervene.

Saylor was losing badly, but it was by no means a fair fight. Saylor tripped, landing on her back in the water, her sword flying out of her hand. Sky and Kris stood over her, and she closed her eyes. "Oh, Tyla, please fix it right now…" she said, and she got her wish.

"What the-?" Sky asked, looking very disoriented. He looked at Kris, who raised her sword, preparing to bring it down on Saylor's face. Saylor opened her eyes to see Sky fighting Kris, and Kris becoming even more unhinged.

"Thank you, Tyla!" Saylor whispered, picking up her sword. She stepped behind Kris, and she aimed a thrust at the other girl's back, but Kris blocked it. Sky and Saylor gradually forced her backwards, out towards the deeper water. Then Kris took a step back, and there wasn't a block there. She fell under the water, and she didn't come back up.

Saylor stared down at the deep ocean that had claimed the ex-Sky Army Lieutenant, then she remembered. "Tyla!" Saylor ran back through the water, up onto the beach, and towards the portal Tyla had gone through.

* * *

Tyla weakly opened her eyes. Someone was carrying her. She struggled weakly, and she heard Sky say "It's alright, squid girl." Sky? Ah! No! Tyla started to struggle, and she felt Sky put her down. Opening her eyes farther, she saw someone else's face.

"Saylor?" Tyla asked. The last she remembered, she had passed out in the Nether… "You're alive!" Saylor said, hugging Tyla hard around the middle. "Easy, Campbell, we don't know if she's broken anything or not." Sky said reproachfully.

"Nnh…" Tyla managed to say. She hurt all over. Why had she thought that that was a good idea? She groaned, and Sky went to pick her up again. Then she blacked out.

* * *

This campfire was unusual. The Sky Army and Tyla had declared a temporary truce, but Tyla still found it odd to be sitting with Saylor and Sky and all the others with none of them telling her off for liking squids.

Speaking of liking squids… Saylor stood up. "Sky…" She took a deep breath. "I'm leaving." The whole campfire went silent. Sky stared at her. "What?" he asked. "I'm leaving." Saylor repeated. "I quit. Squids aren't as bad as I thought. I'm not going to kill them anymore."

This raised a whole host of jeers and insults from the Sky Army, but Saylor walked away. Tyla stood up and ran after her, finally catching up with her on the beach. They stood there for a minute, not talking, then Saylor said "I suppose I really am in cahoots with you now."

Tyla laughed, then she said "Maybe, but I'm glad you decided to change sides. It was uncomfortable when you worked for Sky." Saylor nodded. "And I didn't really hate squids when I joined. I just thought it sounded cool."

Tyla put her hand on Saylor's back. "Well, that's over now. Good night." Tyla walked along the beach to her house, but after a few steps, she stopped and smiled. "Yes, you can stay with me." She said, and Saylor followed her home, almost like a talkative puppy. Or maybe a squid.


End file.
